FCRHA Named “Moving to Work” Agency

Dec. 19, 2012

News Highlights

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA)
has been named a “Moving to Work” (MTW) agency by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development.

MTW gives housing authorities the flexibility to create programs
that work best for their residents, allowing them to design and
test innovative, locally-designed strategies to improve
cost-effectiveness and help families achieve self-sufficiency.

The program will help the FCRHA inact several key programs
connected to its Total
Housing
Reinvention for
Individual Success,
Vital Services and
Economic Empowerment (THRIVE) initiative.

Prestigious Designation Will Provide Low-Income Residents with
New Opportunities

The Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing
Authority (FCRHA) has been named a “Moving to Work” (MTW) agency by
the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a prestigious title awarded to
only 34 housing authorities in the country. MTW gives housing
authorities the flexibility to create programs that work best for their
residents, allowing them to design and test innovative,
locally-designed strategies to improve cost-effectiveness and help
families achieve self-sufficiency.

HUD Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Jane C.W. Vincent, in
announcing that the FCRHA had been selected for the elite MTW
designation, noted that “[MTW] will support the Fairfax County
Redevelopment and Housing Authority in its efforts to implement a plan
that will set low-income families on a path to independence."

“Being named a Moving to Work Agency will only strengthen the already
successful housing programs we are able to offer here in Fairfax
County,” says Elisabeth Lardner, Chairman of the FCRHA. “The changes
the MTW program allows us to make will help us be of better service to
our residents, ultimately moving each of them closer to
self-sufficiency and a permanent place to call home. I am very excited
about the opportunities that await us.”

The FCRHA’s MTW plan is a
critical component of its Total
Housing Reinvention for
Individual Success,
Vital Services and
Economic Empowerment (THRIVE) initiative. Paula
Sampson, Director of Fairfax County’s Department of Housing and
Community Development, says “THRIVE is all about linking residents to
services and programs offered by other county agencies and our
non-profit partners, with the goal of helping them become more
self-sufficient.” These programs are designed to help residents better
manage their money; train for a new job; pursue college or other
training; become a better parent; learn English; improve their health;
and perhaps even purchase a home.

Hunter Mill
District Supervisor Catherine M. Hudgins, Chair of the Board of
Supervisors Housing Committee, stated that “MTW will mean a very real
transformation of how affordable housing is delivered in Fairfax
County, and will allow the FCRHA to fully realize its vision for
THRIVE.” MTW will bring about several key changes including:

Creating a housing continuum that seamlessly joins together the
county’s housing programs – including Public Housing and Housing
Choice Vouchers - and establishes goals to help residents move toward
self-sufficiency;

Expanding its already strong community partnerships with nonprofit
organizations to provide self-sufficiency services ranging from
“ready-to-rent” training, to job readiness, through homebuyer
education and beyond;

Reducing the burden both on staff and residents related to such
things as re-certifications and inspections, which will allow staff
to focus more on people – not paperwork. This new focus will
allow county case workers to link residents to the services – such as
job training and education – that they need to become and remain
self-sufficient.

The FCRHA will implement the programmatic and organization changes
associated with the MTW designation over the course of what is
anticipated to be a years-long transformation of the way housing
assistance is delivered in Fairfax County.